Elijah's cave (how do we hear from God)

We started our Sunday night service at the Cave last night. It was a great night. I have decided to do a three part series on a few caves in the bible, these our part of our decision to take the name the Cave.

Hope you enjoy

Elijah's cave

Elijah is not what anyone would consider a contemplative. We do not expect to see Elijah participating in silence, and stillness. This fire breathing prophet is not the silent type.

We see him not only challenging the priests of Baal to a duel, but then see him mocking them as they cut themselves and wail. He is not content to just win the battle, but adds insult to injury by pouring water over his own altar, yet when he prays, fire falls. And again not content he then kills every single one of these false priests.

When Elijah prays the rains stays away, and when he prays it comes back. When he prays people get healed. Miracles happen. He stand before kings and does not back down. But this great man of faith winds up in the desert, alone, burnt out, and faithless. He cries for God, to please just kill him now.

God gives him some food, and some drink, and sends him off to the mountain at Horeb, where he climbs into a cave for shelter. And God asks him, "why are you hear Elijah"

Elijah tells him that he has worked hard for God, but has failed, the enemy has killed all of Gods people, he is the only one left and they are looking for him to kill him now too.

God says, to go watch out the caves mouth. Elijah sees a wind storm of frightening power, tearing rocks out of the earth. This is the kind of man ELijah is, this is the kind of ministry he has had. The wild wind of God's power! But God was not in the wind.

Then Elijah sees the earthquake, and again Elijah was this kind of prophet. Always shaking things up, disrupting the order of things, but God is not in the Earthquake either.

Then the firey prophet, sees the fire. The prophet of fire, the one who called down the fire from heaven, the one who disappears into the heavens in a chariot of fire, looks unto the fire but God is not in the fire either.

God doesn't behave like we expect all the time does He?

Then in a still small whisper, Elijah hears God. God asks him the same question, and he gives God the same answer as before. And God tells him to go and find his prophetic heir, to place the leaders over the people, to fulfill his destiny, and tells him, you are not alone, there are still those that call on my name.

I pray that you may see and hear God in ways you do not expect. I pray that in the midst of the storm, and quakes and fires of this life, you will be sensitive enought to hear the still small voice of God. I pray that when you have come to the end of your rope, when you feel alone, defeated, and ignored, that God will speak to your heart, and give you a future to walk into.

When is the last time you made space to hear from God?

the rev